Olympic gold or professional glory?

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It's been quite a year in the Richards-Ross household. In February, Aaron Ross earned his second Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants. And just recently his wife, Sanya Richards-Ross, won gold in the 400-meter dash in London. In her postrace interview, Richards-Ross joked that she was going to put her medal directly on top of her husband's rings in the family trophy case. She may have been kidding, but her comment raises an interesting question: Which is a greater honor -- a pro championship or a gold medal?

ESPN SportsNation took this question to the people. The answer, it seems, is a toss-up -- the nearly quarter-million respondents were evenly divided between the two feats. The national map indicates that the vote was close in states throughout the country, though a closer look reveals some interesting findings: The states with the most preference for a gold medal -- Wyoming (57 percent), Arkansas (56), Alaska (55) and Utah (55) -- have either one major professional team or none at all.

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Cameron Spencer/Getty ImagesArkansas might prefer an Olympic medal thanks to hometown heroes like Tyson Gay.

Track-loving states prefer gold. Arkansas is a mecca of sorts for track and field and was the collegiate home of numerous Olympians including American sprinters Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearmon and pole vaulter Jeremy Scott. It's also the alma mater of Jamaican sprinting legend Veronica Campbell-Brown. Oregon (54), too, is a haven for track and field. Eugene (aka TrackTown USA) hosted the Olympic trials, and silver medalist Galen Rupp (10K run), decathlete Ashton Eaton and marathoners Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher are all Oregonians.

Colorado (53) may have four professional sports teams including the Peyton Manning-led Broncos, but it is also home to the United States Olympic Committee Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Northeastern states showed the most preference for a pro championship, with Massachusetts (55 percent) leading the way, New York (53) and New Jersey (53) close behind. The prevalence of major professional teams along the Northeast corridor (Philadelphia and Boston have four teams each, New York has nine) and the relative importance of pro sports (as opposed to college sports) in the region may help explain the results.

Nevadans (54 percent) also prefer a pro championship to a gold medal. Nevada has no pro sports teams, but plenty of places to bet on sports. And the most popular American sport to bet on by far? Pro football.

Maryland, home to the all-time-leading gold medalist Michael Phelps, showed a very slight preference for a pro championship. Perhaps the Orioles' run at their first playoff berth in 15 years or the Ravens' recent near misses in the playoffs have Marylanders hungry for a pro trophy. Or perhaps the reflected glory of Phelps' record haul has spoiled his neighbors so much that they've started to dream of other triumphs.

David Goldenberg (Twitter: @dgoldenberg) is an editor at Gelf Magazine [Gelfmagazine.com]. Matthew Goldenberg (Twitter: @auenberg) is a psychiatrist and writer.

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